Thruxton Historics (2023)

FISCAR Historic Inter-Marque

Thruxton Historics (BARC)

17th June, 2023

Preamble

In October of last year, an unexpected call from John Hutchison, who we’ve known for many years, on behalf of the BARC, offered the prospect of FISCAR racing at Thruxton again after an 11 year absence. In fact, I had thought that we had never raced there under the FISCAR banner but Brian Arculus gently reminded me that we had done so in September 2012. You may be able to guess who won that day!! Opportunities to race at this circuit are pretty rare but I was still concerned that we would not be able to form a big enough grid to make an impact and that entry costs would be too high to attract enough members. However, after negotiation with Pat Blakeney at Thruxton, and Ben Taylor and Mark Turner at BARC led to our acceptance of the offer to race there. It did become slightly confusing to a senile old chap like me over the actual terms of the agreement, dealing with different parties. Some unexpected developments meant that it was all hands to the pump only a few weeks before the event. Richard Culverhouse came to the rescue by drafting a revision of the Castle Combe regs from last year and then collecting the race entry fees. Yes, we actually finished up buying the grid outright, but all credit to Thruxton for setting the figure at a competitive  rate that we could just about afford. We set the entry fee at £445 which was pretty much in line with our other races this year.

We needed a minimum of 17 entries which ought to have been easily achieved but with less than two weeks to go, we were a few cars short of that target. A number of our members were at MG Live the previous weekend and it seemed unlikely that they would want to come out a second weekend running and, of course, we know about the dreadful accident that befell Alex Quattlebaum (see our NEWS section) at that meeting. Chris Mann had a date with the VSCC  at Cadwell on the same weekend as ours and it was looking increasingly likely that we would fall short. However,  several members went the extra mile following our pleas and saved the day. Grateful thanks to all who entered but I would like particularly to mention Jonathan Abecassis who not only changed his mind and entered despite racing the weekend before but also for identifying  David Reed as a potential entry. Neither Mark Morgan, nor Andrew Mitchell had intended to race but got together to share Mark’s Ginetta, and Richard Thorne, as well as entering himself, also successfully encouraged new member Tony Kilby to enter his Morgan +4, so that Richard had to ‘mother’ no less than 4 Morgans at the event! Glenn and Rory Tollett were late entries as until a few days before the car wasn’t sorted. Finally, a tentative approach from Andrew Davenall to enter his Austin A105/6 which would in most instances have been politely rebuffed was timely and I felt would just lend more interest to our grid and for the spectators. I could go on, but in the end we had 20 entries reduced to 19 when Tristan Bradfield sadly had to withdraw his Sunbeam Alpine LM which had jammed its gears at MG Live but Tristan, I understand, may have ‘influenced’ a couple of the other entries and he even turned up to the event.

Whilst, on this occasion, we had no representation from Abingdon, Coventry or Thames Ditton, this was, ultimately, a diverse and interesting grid which in addition to the Morgan team also featured 4 Aston Martins. Newcomers to our ranks, as well as Tony Kilby and Andrew Davenall, were Peter Baker (DB2) and Peter Blanchett (RGS Atalanta). Returnee, Tim Stamper has finally got his DB2/4 up and running and great to see him back, and it has been a very long time since David Reed’s Aston Martin DB2 graced a FISCAR grid. I cannot claim many recruits to FISCAR but I do lay some claim, if I may, to the unique TR3 Falcon and the rare Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Le Mans of Andrew Cox and Glenn Brackenridge respectively both of whom have been supporting us recently. I am biased of course but I feel that they have both found their natural racing home at FISCAR, so long may they continue to enhance our already lovely grids. Apologies to anyone left out, but everyone will get a mention in the following section!  

Qualifying

As soon as Jonathan Abecassis put his entry in, he became favourite for the overall victory but I did expect a very strong showing from the Kellison, particularly in the first half of the race. In fact, I really thought that on this track it would have the pace of the field and would only be pegged back by the additional 30 second pit stop imposed on the car. I believe that owner, Richard Tyzack and his co-driver, Nick Taylor, also thought it was in with a chance of a top 3 finish despite the time penalty but their qualifying time of 1.41.823 was only good enough for 5th on the grid. However, it was still possible that they would find more time in the race and move up, as a mere half a second covered 2nd through to 5th. Brian Arculus (Lotus Elite) was second on 1.41.380, Glenn & Rory Tollett (Austin Healey 100M) 3rd on 1.41.495 and David Reed  (Aston Martin DB2) 4th on 1.41.525. On pole, Jonathan Abecassis had qualified in 1.38.446 which, 2.9 seconds ahead of Brian, suggested a comfortable victory. Jonathan had thought that David Reed would challenge him since they had had a close race at the circuit a few years before, but things move on. Jonathan has been racing regularly since and getting quicker whereas David has had little seat time in the Aston in recent years and it would only be in the race that we would discover whether he could get closer to times that he had achieved at the circuit before. It should be noted here that David’s Aston was a little more developed than the others, so I had placed him in Class 2.

Behind that very close group of four, in a very fine 6th place, was Peter Blanchett in the RGS Atalanta, first of the class 3 cars. He was over 2 seconds behind the Kellison, on 1.44.006 but just over 2 seconds quicker than Richard Thorne’s Morgan +4 which was on 1.46.157 (first Class 4 car), so Peter’s race looked potentially a bit lonely, as did Richard’s since he was almost 2 seconds clear of Peter Baker’s Aston Martin DB2, 8th on 1.48.097. Reuben Jacob qualified a very fine 9th in his Morgan +4 on a 1.50.756 and the top 10 was rounded out by Ed Shah in his Elva Courier. Unfortunately, during the course of qualifying Ed had a very scary excursion off at Church, a very fast right hander that demands respect, and it ripped a couple of studs out of one of the hubs. Unable to locate (MGA?) replacements, Ed, very sadly had to retire the car from the race. It was probably a blessing in disguise, as it seems likely that all the studs on the hub concerned would have been stressed.

Simon Jefferies qualified 11th in his Aston Martin DB MkIII on 1.51.861, almost a second ahead of Barry Dye’s Lotus Elite on 1.52.713. Andrew Davenall qualified the invitation Austin A105/6 13th on a competitive 1.52.892, but it should be noted that this car is a lot further away from standard spec than the FISCAR compliant sports cars. It would possibly be an over simplification to describe the car, which was built to Goodwood St Mary’s Trophy specification, as an Austin Healey 100/6 with a heavy saloon body, but it conveys it correctly in performance terms! It would be fun to watch! Tim Stamper qualified the Aston Martin DB2/4 on 1.53.352 but we knew from past experience that Tim rarely bothers too much about qualifying times and invariably goes quicker in the races. Alan House was half a second slower on 1.53.809 in his Morgan +4 and 16th on the grid, was Andrew Cox in the TR3 Falcon on 1.54.027, but he too, would surely be quicker in the race. 17th was the invitation Ginetta G4 of Mark Morgan and Andrew Mitchell on 1.55.400. Some way behind was Glenn Brackenridge on 2.08.221 in his Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Le Mans still sporting big lamps and other rally accoutrements, but he was not last since Tony Kilby completed only 2 laps before the battery brackets broke on his Morgan +4. His time of 2.14.305 was completely unrepresentative but repairs were completed in time and the car took the start looking absolutely stunning in its blue livery.   

It looked as though we could expect some great racing, since it was clear that whilst some may have qualified near their optimum pace others were still learning their way around this very fast track and would find time during the race. There were certainly one or two surprises in store!

Race

The weather was holding up against prediction and 18 cars lined up on the grid in fine conditions. Was 18 enough? It’s never enough, but yes, considering the quality of the content, 9 rows of cars providing a fascinating grid and it certainly held the attention of a substantial number of the spectators. It was a good looking grid.

Let’s be clear. After qualifying put Jonathan Abecassis almost 3 seconds ahead of Brian Arculus, with the Reed Aston DB 2 and the Tyzack/Taylor Kellison, qualifying 4th and 5th,  the Austin Healey driver was expected to win this race comfortably. So much so, in fact, that I had suggested to Jonathan that he need only drive within himself on this fast and abrasive track to win. Wrong ….. again! I should have taken heed of the unexpectedly high qualifying  3rd position of the Tollett Austin Healey 100M and what do I know anyway! Glenn Tollett made the momentous decision to sit this one out and let Rory drive the whole race. I still hadn’t really considered what the possibilities for the race this decision created.

The grid took off, very much in the order expected, with Jonathan taking the lead and Brian tucking in behind, followed by Rory. There was a fair bit of jostling through the field as they sorted themselves out but at the front, after following Brian’s lines for a few corners, Rory took the 100M passed the Elite and crossed the line at the end of lap 1 in second place, 1.6 seconds behind  fellow Austin Healey driver, Jonathan Abecassis. Peter Blanchett had a great first lap to bring the RGS Atalanta around in 4th place ahead of David Reed’s Aston Martin DB2 with the Kellison having dropped to 6th, being closely pressed by the giant killing Morgan of Richard Thorne. Peter Baker had the second DB2 in 7th place , 7.5 seconds behind the leader.

A gap had already opened up behind Peter to the tune of 4 seconds to a group headed by the fast starting Simon Jefferies in the DB MkIII. On his heels, was Andrew Cox who had an even better first lap having already made up 6 places and he was followed by Andrew Davenall’s Austin A105 with a small gap back to Tim Stamper, who had made a conservative start in the DB2/4. Tim was followed by Barry Dye’s Lotus Elite, Alan House and Reuben Jacob in Morgans with the Mark Morgan Ginetta in 16th. Some way behind already, Tony Gilby’s Morgan led Glenn Brackenridge in the Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Le Mans across the line, all cars safely completing the first lap but separated by half a minute.

During the course of lap 2, Jonathan extended his lead marginally to 1.8 seconds, but Rory, showing unexpected pace on his first flying lap,  clocked a time a full second quicker than his best in qualifying. The 100M was keeping the 100/4 in sight and edging away from the Arculus Elite, Brian hoping that the abrasive nature of the track would slow the Austin Healeys later in the race, as tyre wear kicked in, the Lotus much gentler on its tyres. Behind, the only change of order was when Adrian Cox continuing his forward progress, took the TR3 Falcon passed the Aston Martin DB MkIII, but other close racing was already developing down the field.

The gap between the leaders barely changed during lap 3 as Rory Tollett posted a 1.39.078, almost matching the leader’s time and it began to occur that just maybe this race would not be the proverbial ’walk in the park’  for Jonathan Abecassis. The Elite was now over 4 seconds behind the pair of Austin Healeys but almost 4 seconds ahead of David Reed who was now getting into his stride in the quick DB2 having passed Peter Blanchett’s RGS Atalanta. Nick Taylor was also beginning to find a bit of pace in Richard Tyzack’s Kellison but still down in 6th place, was not where he wanted to be, the distinct sound of the bellowing V8 nevertheless entertaining the spectators. Richard Thorne continued to lap outrageously quickly in his Class 4 Morgan, in 8th place, but further back, Tim Stamper was also making progress in the DB2/4 and overtook both Andrew Davenall (A105) and Simon Jefferies (DB MkIII) to move into 10th and onto the tail of the TR3 Falcon of Andrew Cox. Simon, had had a slow lap, dropping to 13th behind Barry Dye’s Lotus Elite and it was going to be difficult to recover the lost ground, and I later learnt that he was not feeling 100% which would not have helped. At the back Tony Kilby (Morgan +4) and Glenn Brackenridge had lost touch with the field but they were achieving their main targets of learning the track and improving their lap times.

As Jonathan Abecassis completed lap 4, he had eked out his lead to 2 seconds but both he and Rory were now both down into the high 1.38s, so they were absolutely flying. Brian Arculus did what he usually does, and was the first to head  for the pits for the mandatory pit stop, bringing the Lotus Elite to a halt, still in 3rd place. There was no change of position on this lap although Brian would of course lose places whilst in the pits. As he left the pits to rejoin the race, Alan House brought his Morgan +4 in for his stop.

On lap 5, Rory Tollett banged in a lap of 1.38.342, his best so far, and he took eight tenths out of the Abecassis lead which was now just 1.2 seconds. We really did have a race on our hands. Such was their pace that they had both lapped Glenn Brackenridge’s Sunbeam and led David Reed’s DB2 by 15 seconds, although David had also now pulled clear of the RGS Atalanta, but Peter Blanchett was still in an excellent and untroubled 4th place. Down in 9th place, Tim Stamper was still pressing Andrew Cox, the DB2/4 and TR3 Falcon well matched and both had made the most places during the course of the early laps. Behind them, Andrew Davenall (A105), Barry Dye (Lotus Elite) and Simon Jefferies (DB MKIII) all pitted.          

On lap 6, Rory Tollett took another chunk out of Jonathan’s lead and the 100M was virtually on the tail of the 100/4, a mere 6 tenths behind as they entered lap 7. Race on! They had both lapped Tony Kilby’s Morgan +4 and led David Reed now by almost 22 seconds. Peter Blanchett’s RGS Atalanta was a further 7 seconds behind and the last to be within half a minute of the leaders, a lead that only got bigger as the next two, Richard Thorne (Morgan +4) and Nick Taylor (Kellison) took to the pits, as did Tim Stamper in the DB2/4 shortly after.

Jonathan responded to the strong challenge from Rory and got down to 1.37.832 on lap 7 but Rory went marginally quicker on 1.37.818, so was clearly set on grabbing the lead should the opportunity arise. These two were putting on a great show and this was quick stuff for 50s sports cars. They were visibly squirming as they came through the chicane and at this point in the race, they were distancing the field at almost 6 seconds a lap! The gap to David Reed’s DB2 was now up to over 27 seconds. The pit stops scrambled the order, of course, and only 7 cars remained on the lead lap, the last of these being Brian Arculus, the Elite recovering ground from the early stop, but nearly a minute and a half down on the leading pair. Any chance of the Kellison having an impact on the race was denied as Richard Tyzack having taken the car over from Nick Taylor, frustratingly, returned to the pits trailing the exhaust system and retired. It was to be the only DNF of the race.

As Jonathan Abecassis completed his 8th lap, the gap to Rory had opened up to 1.1 seconds, an indication, perhaps, that he had the situation under control. On the other hand, they had both lapped slower than their previous lap and had had to lap cars so it was probably not a significant sign. Reuben Jacob pitted his Morgan + 4 and was followed in by the Ginetta G4 for a driver change, Mark Morgan handing over to Andrew Mitchell. David Reed pressed on, now 33 seconds adrift in 3rd, whilst 4th placed Peter Blanchett pitted. Peter Baker’s DB2 was in an excellent 5th place and Brian Arculus was up to 6th, the last on the lead lap. As Brian completed that lap, just behind, Jonathan completed his 9th lap in the pits and Rory Tollett assumed the lead. 43 seconds later David Reed, having locked up heading into the chicane, brought the DB2 in from 3rd to take his mandatory stop and have a punctured wheel changed. This was carried out remarkably swiftly but it cost him an extra minute and ultimately a single position. Both Tony Kilby (Morgan) and Peter Baker now took their stops and only two cars had yet to pit; the new leader and Andrew Cox, in the TR3 Falcon.

Rory Tollett pitted one lap later and it appeared to be a close run thing as to whether he could emerge from the pits ahead of Jonathan. It certainly looked possible as Rory was in the pit exit lane as Jonathan stormed over the start/finish line but as he charged through Segrave, he was fully up to speed whilst Rory was still accelerating back onto the track and the momentum easily carried the 100/4 back into the lead and he completed lap 11 almost 3.8 seconds ahead of the 100M. It was the biggest lead Jonathan had had at any stage so far in the race and the question was whether Rory could repeat his great charge from the first half of the race. Brian Arculus was now back up to 3rd in the Lotus Elite but 44 seconds behind and surely even tyre degradation on the Austin Healeys would not be enough to bring them back to him in the remaining 7 laps. Peter Blanchett (RGS Atalanta), Andrew Cox (TR3 Falcon) and Richard Thorne (Morgan +4) were still on the lead lap but Andrew still had not pitted, so I was concerned that, as at Silverstone, he might miss the pit window, so it was a ‘phew’ moment when he took to the pits on lap 12.

At the front, Jonathan was beginning to extend his lead. It was 4.3 seconds at the end of lap 12, 4.7 on lap 13 and up to 5 seconds at the end of lap 14. He was consistently lapping in the 1.37s whereas Rory, still going quickly, couldn’t get out of the 1.38s. It looked as though his challenge might be slowly fading. Was it tyre wear?The tyres on Rory’s car were a good bit older than those on Jonathan’s. The gap back to Brian Arculus was still going out though. In 4th place, barring mishap, Peter Blanchett appeared to have Class 3 wrapped up. Richard Thorne, a lap down was an incredible 5th, leading Class 4 comfortably, and David Reed, 6th leading Class 2 was making up ground after his unfortunate puncture. At the back of the field, Tony Kilby was 2 laps down in his Morgan but was continuing to improve his lap times, as was Glenn Brackenridge in the Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Le Mans.       

The pace at the front was pretty relentless, and continued as the race wound down through its final laps. At the end of lap 15, Jonathan had his biggest lead over Rory, at 5.7 seconds, but at the end of the following lap the 100M had got back into the 1.37s whilst the 100/4 did its slowest lap since lap 2 at just under 1.40s, and the lead was now back under 4 seconds. Jonathan had not really eased up though, as he had to negotiate a couple of backmarkers against a clear track for Rory. Brian Arculus, now about a minute down in 3rd place was right about tyre wear on the Austin Healeys, particularly on the Tollett car as by the end of the race, its offside tyres were bald across much of the tread. I’m not sure however that this did much to reduce the grip since, astonishingly, both cars made their fastest laps on the penultimate lap, Jonathan Abecassis, a 1.37.416, and Rory Tollett, a 1.37.556. It may well be that with the rubber put down during the race and the fact that the wear on Rory’s tyres had turned them briefly into slicks may have had the opposite effect.   Rory’s time had been achieved whilst lapping cars that Jonathan had gone passed the previous lap, so he really stayed on it right to the end and Jonathan had responded, so although they had rarely been absolutely nose to tail, this had been a hard fought race long duel. As Jonathan exited the chicane for the last time, he almost tripped over Glenn Brackenridge’s Sunbeam Alpine Harrington which caused him to back off slightly and he took the chequered flag just 2.1 seconds ahead of Rory. They had put on a superb show and entertained right to the end. Had there been such an award, Rory would surely have won driver of the race. As they say in the films, I did not see that one coming and Jonathan certainly had a race on his hands from an unexpected source.  

Only Brian Arculus completed the same number of laps as the leading pair. His best lap of 1.40.904 was fully 3.5 seconds slower that the Austin Healeys so, in truth, he really was always going to be up against it, but he finished well clear of the well driven and surprisingly quick RGS Atalanta of Peter Blanchett, another star of the show and clear winner of Class 3. David Reed’s recovery drive, following his puncture, netted him 5th, and with a best lap just 3 tenths shy of Brian’s it seems likely that a trouble free race would have given him 4th. He may even have kept Brian in sight, but he won Class 2 in any event. A very fine drive by Richard Thorne in his Morgan +4 took him to an excellent 6th and comfortable Class 4 winner but he had two very slow laps at the end and he was so nearly caught by Peter Baker’s Aston Martin DB2 on the line, just 7 tenths separating them. I think Peter will find more time in the DB2. Tim Stamper, starting 14th finished 8th, had a fine race and was closing on the pair ahead towards the end and he, too will surely get quicker in his DB2/4. Andrew Davenall took 9th in the big Austin A105/6. He had a great time and I quote  ‘ … the best race I've had for years.  Actually being able to compete with other cars, fabulous’. Andrew Cox got everything right this time, starting 16th and finishing less than 2 seconds down on the A105, in 10th.

Barry Dye, was the first car to finish 2 laps down in 11th, in his beautifully turned out Lotus Elite. He had to fend off Andrew Mitchell, in Mark Morgan’s little Ginetta G4 towards the end of the race just 4 tenths splitting them at the line. Six seconds later, Reuben Jacob beginning to get to grips with his Morgan +4 crossed the line to take 13th, 3 seconds clear of fellow Morgan pilot, Alan House. Simon Jefferies, was 15th in his DB MkIII. He had been unable to sustain his excellent qualifying position but you can be sure that he drove his socks of, as usual, despite feeling unwell. 3 laps down, Tony Silby finished 16th, but he had been improving his lap times. In the early laps he’d been struggling to get under 2.00 minutes but he cracked that and found his best lap towards the end posting a 1.56. More seat time will bring that down further. Our final finisher was Glenn Brackenridge, 4 laps down in his Sunbeam Alpine Harrington but nevertheless he had great fun and he also improved his lap times finding a 5 second chunk over his best qualifying lap.  All in all, this race had presented a great spectacle and had shown FISCAR at its best in terms of quality and gentlemanly driving, so a great effort all round by all our competitors.  

Incidentally, an ‘interesting’ fact is that 6 cars did their best lap on lap 15, and they finished 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th. Make of that what you will!!     

In the Index of Performance, Peter Baker (DB2), Glenn Tollett (A-H 100M) and Peter Blanchett (RGS Atalanta) took the top 3 positions, all putting in performances that exceeded expectation. Richard Thorne (Morgan +4) and Tim Stamper (DB2/4) also scored well although neither of their drives, excellent though they were, with knowledge of their previous drives, were quite such a surprise. Although Andrew Cox does not appear in this list he scored well enough to head the IoP table in his TR3 Falcon, after 2 races.

In Inter-Marque, the Aston Martin team just pipped the Morgans, whilst the two car Austin Healey and Lotus teams also scored. It must be many years since Aston Martin, not only fielded 4 cars but, took top honours in FISCAR Inter-Marque.

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